Alpha
by hasu713
Summary: “You're unbelievable!” she bit out, grasping his biceps firmly, her eyes harsh. “You disgust me! Why did you capture me if you don’t even belong to them!” In which a Jinchuuriki is captured by Akatsuki and afraid to loose her life. SasukeOC
1. Prologue

My very first fanfiction, inspired by Kishimoto's great work. The story will take place a few years later than the recent manga, M rated for a reason. Warnings: **Major manga spoilers** up to and including the most recent release. Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto!

I hope you all enjoy this: comments and feedback are much appreciated!

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**Alpha**

Prologue: The Jinchuuriki

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She awoke in a bruised, sweaty heap. Her head was throbbing so hard that she thought she might be better off as a corpse than surviving in a terrible state like this. Her limbs were weak and unresponsive as she struggled to move in the frustratingly shifting pile of cloth she lay in, her mind trying to focus on remembering why she was in a dusty dark room.

"Where on earth… am I?" she rasped, her throat all sore from the dust and lack of oxygen. Her eyes slowly started to scan her arms and the rest of her body, noticing the dried blood, the bruises and wounds that was covering her. A frown appeared on her face: what had happened?

She squinted in the darkness, totally unsure of what time it was or how long she had been unconscious. Getting to her knees was a challenge, and standing, albeit unsteadily, was a feat to her willpower alone. She judged that to escape was nigh well impossible, but that didn't stop her to take a lurching step into the direction that seemed to lead towards a door. However, she staggered and collapsed to the ground after only a few feet of trying.

Riye has never felt so weak and vulnerable before in her entire life.

Now on her hands and knees, she crawled painfully forward, aware of the tearing ache that shot though her body as she made contact with the ground beneath her. She made it to the silhouette of the unlocked door and reached out with a dirty hand to push open the wooden panel… but then unfortunately it swung open toward her.

_'What the- !'_ An immense dark force barrelled into her, knocking her backwards as if she weighed nothing and cried out, but the noise was muffled by the thick fur pressing against her face, something heavy leaning on her chest, forcing her to the ground. She was pinned beneath it as easily as if she had a mountain on top of her, and that's what it was, a mountain of fur and warmth and thick animal scent. She was being smothered as she resisted, her defensive action already pitifully weak, without the lack of oxygen to slow her more. She was being crushed under this creature, going to die if it kept that way, and she didn't even know what it was. She tried to push him off with all her strength, trying to meld some of her chakra into her hands to - but then it struck her: she had no chakra left at all, even her reserves were all gone!

How was this possible? How had she gotten into this dark stink hole? And most of all: why the hell was this filthy thing trying to crush her?

Riye heard a sound from far away, and belatedly registered it as a man's voice that she definitely had heard before. The thing on top of her growled in displeasure, but cleared itself of her body so she could gasp for air on the ground.

"What the hell… was _that_?"

Gratefully she sucked in the dusty air, alive, and knowing it because she was still aware of her immense pain that came from her upper arm and her right temple. She heard the sounds of the door being bolted, peered into the darkness.

"Your attempts to escape will be useless since Kisame-san has drained your chakra with his Samehada. I highly advice you not to try again."

Riye felt somewhat too weak at the moment, when she finally remembered that her chakra reserves were gone. She gritted her teeth horror and anger. "Who's there?" she asked in a slow voice that quavered slightly. She heard the beasts she felt a few moments ago rumble aggressively as she spoke.

"No one of consequence," was the rough reply. "Do not try to escape again, or the wolves will bring you down, next time not so gently."

"_Wolves_?" she repeated, a little recognition apparent in her low tone.

"Yes," the man said. "They will not hesitate to bite your neck, especially an escaping little girl."

"So you are _Kawada Hiroki_… the new Akatsuki member from Kurogakure that uses wolves to kill." she had spat his name in disgust, knowing that he was responsible for several deaths of some of her friends, as she glared at her enemy in the dim light he had conjured. The man held a single candle over Riye's head, and though he could make out her features quite clearly, all she could see of him were shiny yellow eyes and the red clouds on his cloak, proving him a rightful member of the Akatsuki.

"You are the container of something that we need, plus you are holding some interesting information on Kirigakure's plans," he told her bluntly. "Give it to us now."

"You know that I won't tell you anything…" she said, and threw herself at the light, knocking it from his hand before he had time to turn away. She hurdled past him, but his foot caught her and she fell heavily, sprawled on her face on the ground.

"Get off of me filthy-!" The wolves were on her in a flash, their menacing growl roaring dangerously in her ears as a pair of jaws was none to lightly clamped over her unprotected neck.

"Wait." she heard Hiroki order the wolves sharply, and their sharp teeth did not draw blood. She froze, barely breathing, listening to the man as he retrieved the extinguished candle from where it lay a distance away.

"Too bad," he mused indifferently. "That was my last match. You'll have to spend a night with wolves in the dark now." The way he said it, she knew he couldn't care less for her fear of the creatures still poised to kill her. Until God must have heard her silent prays…

"I thought that there was told that we aren't supposed to harm the Jinchuuriki or… am I mistaken, Hiroki-san?" a young male voice spoke up, his frame blocking the doorway. Riye's eyes squinted over and got surprised as she noticed Momochi Zabuza's sword, Kubikiri Houcho, that was resting on the figure's shoulders. How long has it been since she has seen that sword…Hōzuki Suigetsu..

"Don't interfere, Suigetsu… or should I really make you leave?" Hiroki spoke up, as in challenging him. Riye suspected that Suigetsu held the same temper as his brother and she seemed to be damn right: he immediately lifted up his arm to reach for his sword.

"Let's see how you would fight without your-!"

"Enough, Suigetsu." a soft, yet powerful and masculine voice suddenly cut him off.

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Next Chapter: _Wolfbeat_


	2. 1: Wolfbeat

This is the next chapter, I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Alpha

Chapter one: Wolfbeat

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Her head snapped up at this, looking into the direction were the unfamiliar, masculine voice came from, but could only see a dark figure standing in the doorway next to Suigetsu. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a sharper image of the unknown Akatsuki member.

"You are aware of his orders. Do not harm the _Raijuu Jinchuuriki_… she will be useless if she dies of a wolf-bite."

Riye narrowed her eyes even more as she felt a pang of anger inside the pit of her stomach. How dared they, they talked about her like she was nothing more than a tool.

"I wasn't going to kill her! I was just trying to make her talk!"

"It's not your task to do that, Hiroki."

She knew that he was trying to sound angry about this all, but she already noticed that the unknown person who was standing in the doorway, was clearly making him feel uncomfortable, maybe even… afraid.

Riye abruptly snapped out of trance when she noticed that calm footsteps were filling the room, as the unknown Akatsuki member revealed himself into dim light of a small lantern that he was holding, stepping out of the darkness. He appeared to be in his early twenties, and was sinfully handsome. His face was smooth with its defined edges, his eyes dark and hooded. His black bangs hung and framed his face, but his hair spiked in the back.

"_Maa_ Sasuke, I guess you wanna take care of this mess? That guy really is a drag..." Suigetsu snickered as he turned around and left, as in expecting that he could handle this by his own. Her eyes narrowed a little at hearing his name, knowing that she must have heard it before.

She suddenly sensed that a strong hand had gripped the collar of her shirt as Hiroki pulled her to her feet, now revealing his wolverine features. "Tell me what you know, kunoichi," he ordered her softly, holding her firmly in place by her collar.

"Same order, same answer…" she hissed, and bent double as his heavy fist slammed into her stomach.

He reached for her, and ordered again, clearly, "Tell me!"

"No…" she replied indifferently with such certainty that it angered him even more and he thumped her once again, driving her to her knees with the blow.

"Quit the act, Hiroki. This is useless." She heard that Sasuke guy say, his threat still sounding suave with his velvety and deep voice.

But the Wolfman didn't seem to listen to him. This time he pulled her up by her hair, and said truthfully, "If you don't tell me now, I'll _beat_ it out of you!"

She snapped her eyes shut, expecting another blow…

But it never came.

She carefully lifted one eyelid open and saw that the dark haired Akatsuki member was now standing behind him, his katana tightly pressed against his neck.

"It would be much easier if I kill you now." Sasuke said calmly, yet he made it sound so dangerous. His face was still impassive as he raised his head a little. Riye noticed that his voice had not changed a bit, without any emotion audible. Still, the way he spoke made the room even more chilly than it already was.

"However…" Sasuke continued, now moving his katana so that the point dug into the sensitive skin of Hiroki's neck and Riye saw that his eyes flashed for a moment in urgency. "Such a death would be rather pointless."

The wolves were now barking, pawing at the door and nudging the man to get his attention. "Leave Hiroki. You're not even able to control your own temper, leave out the Jinchuuriki."

The small sounds of fellow Akatsuki members could be heard outside the room, and men shouting. Without a word he released her and she collapsed on the ground, winching as she made contact with the stone floor.

"So be it. See if she would talk to you, Uchiha." he hissed at his fellow companion before he unbolted the door and stepped out into the night, his four big creatures following him.

_'Wait... Uchiha? That means...!'_ Softly regaining herself, she suddenly felt alarmed at realizing who it was and didn't dare to lift her throbbing head to her surroundings, even now that she wasn't under the excruciating pain of the hold Hiroki just had on her. She noticed she was slightly trembling and merely couldn't keep her eyes away from the pair of feet that were standing in front of her.

Her head was starting to feel light and her arms were aching. She knew she was in a vulnerable position facedown in the dirt, and was not anxious to be here with a missing nin, who was capable of doing the most terrifying things to her. However, she somehow managed to gather her last droplets of courage as she slowly eased her screaming arms alongside her, palms down. Her eyes never left his feet as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, her arms shaking from the effort to remain calm while the Uchiha was standing in few inches away from her. Riye got to her knees, swallowed her fear and crouched on the balls of her feet. She knew that she was able now to see his face, but decided to avoid making any contact with him. Riye scooted back on her elbows, away from him, looking for another exit as she retreated.

"I see you are aware of what my eyes can do."

Riye gulped and abruptly stopped moving, waiting nervously for his further response. She just could feel his Sharingan eyes bore into her, but she was still refused to look at him.

__

'When I fight a Sharingan user, all I need to do is keeping a close eye on his movements and feet… that's what I have learnt when I fought the Copy Nin…'

And so she did, her eyes still remained on his feet… but since Sasuke made no movement, the temptation grew to look up by the second as he stood there like a scarecrow.

Keep your eyes on the feet… keep your eyes on the feet… his feet… his feet… Riye froze. Sasuke must have noticed that her concentration was starting to slip because the next thing she knew, he had suddenly reappeared in front of her, now closer than before. She swore that her heart skipped a beat as he invaded virtually every one of her senses.

__

'He's unfairly fast!'

"As you probably noticed, you are a captive now of the Akatsuki and you remain that way until all preparations are set for the extraction process." Heart hammering, Riye swallowed hard and closed her eyes in despair. Of course, the extraction process. How could she have forgotten about it?

"We also suspect that you're holding useful information about the Mizukage's plans on the War." She half-returned his stare, and she noticed that some kind of threat was lurking in his Sharingan eyes. It was the kind of glare that could give someone before you finished him off.

"Tell us what it is and you stay unharmed until the extraction. There is no other choice for you." his command came in a cold, toneless voice, which held no room for arguments.

She didn't know where it came from, but a bubble with some old spirit suddenly burst inside of her, courage overwhelming now. "There is." she replied evenly, despite her gasping breaths.

She quickly lunged at him, fists ready and swung low and hard. He dodged it easily, and landed a smarting blow to her back and shoulders. She silently gasped in pain, the blow having landed solidly on her previous bruises. She darted in with a short strong kick to his leg, and as he dodged it lazily, she leaped in close and began to aim for his torso. With a sharp rap to her bleeding temple, he forced another wave of pain to descend on her from the earlier wound. She backed away, clutching her head and trying to stay upright as the blow drove bolts of jagged pain through her skull. With her hands raised to her face, Riye had no protection as the Uchiha drove to her ribs. She backed up, flailing her arms, and he roughly grabbed her around the waist and twisted her arms behind her back. He shoved her down to the ground, his knee in her back, making her back arch as he put careful, manipulative pressure on her arms and shoulders, knowing from experience how painful this position was. She knew she was foolish to challenge him at this rate, definitely with her injuries. That didn't stop her from trying though.

"You don't stand a single chance in your state." he softly stated, his voice in her ear. "Tell us what you know."

"Stop the damn routine, the answer stays no!" she shouted fiercely, though her voice was so raw from pain it didn't carry. He tightened his hold, and she heard her limbs pop. Pain was beginning to cloud her eyes. He hasn't even used his eyes yet and he already drove me into this vulnerable position…

"Hn." that was his mere reply, and Riye thought he only used it when people bored him as Sasuke dug his knee deeper into her moaned deeply, near to passing out. Just when she thought that she was going to loose her consciousness, he released the arm lock on Riye without a word and she collapsed on the cold floor, breathing raggedly.

He hauled her up by the collar and spoke calmly to her, not mincing his words. "Never charge straight into a fight, especially if you have no idea what potential your enemy has." His fingers dug into her neck; she hoped he couldn't see her wince.

"This has proven to be a deadly mistake for countless shinobi." His voice was low and smooth, reminding Riye of the controlled stillness before a particularly dangerous storm. Abruptly he shoved her away, and she stumbled in the darkness, but did not fall.

"What makes you think I will stay here?" she said, staring at him squarely, trying to look brave and unafraid.

He noted her tensed voice and heavy breathing as he stepped forward until he touched her shoulder. He pushed her lightly on the chest and she crumpled to the ground without any resistance.

"Che…." she muttered hoarsely as she struggled to sit up but failed, her head spinning. With difficulty, she clambered to her hands and knees, her head hanging as she fought off a wave of pain, dizziness, and nausea. She squinted her eyes against the light that suddenly shone in front of her, making her headache all the more unbearable.

"Ugh… too bright..." she rasped. The pain forced her to speak in incoherent fragments, and her semi lucid self chided her outburst. Why would he care if she was hurting or not? But already the light was dimmed, and she could crack open her eyes enough to see him held the lantern in one hand, a screen half covering its light.

Riye didn't notice the sure hand on her shoulder until it pulled her to her feet. She swayed, then groaned as the world tipped and her legs buckled. She felt him catch her as she slumped forward onto his chest, his strong arms wrapping around her back and pinning her own limp arms to her side. Sasuke pushed her backwards to the wall and let her drop onto the pile of rags. He wisely placed the lantern on a ledge a good distance from where she lay against the stable wall, remembering how she had recoiled from the bright light. He gazed down at her, for the first time he saw clearly now what he thought he had already seen before, during their fight a few days ago. Involuntarily, he felt a twinge of pity as he stood over her dark form.

Dark hair, mussed and sweat drenched from the recent scuffle, framed a face tightly drawn in pain and exhaustion. A long bloody gash purpled with bruise marked her right temple sharply, the dark liquid trickling down the side of her face and throat. Other gashes indicated by wet stains seeped through her tunic, her clothes were torn and dirty. Sasuke noticed the red tinge on her sides and the memory of how she had arched under his strike, he guessed she had been thumped there more than a few times. Overall she was a mess, and close to delirium as well. She laboriously tried to lift her head to face him, various strands of dark hair fell into a pair of calculating dark eyes, which were slightly icy. Just by looking at them, he could easily sense that she wasn't going to give him that information so easily.

She felt like the room was spinning around her, trying to make her feel nauseous. She suddenly noticed that the Uchiha was standing over her and she slowly lifted her head up, unable avoid to look him directly in the eye now. Her eyes rested on his face for a brief moment and she could help but to wonder why such a horrific person could look like that.

Eventually, her exhaustion was starting to overpower her senses and the Sharingan started to blur, hearing new footsteps slowly enter the room. Riye's clouded mind could barely register that an unfamiliar person stood now beside Sasuke, though she could make out of its frame that it was a female. Riye decided to give up trying to escape before she even moved, mainly because she couldn't and she passed out in the midst of darkness.

Sasuke glanced at her for a moment or two, his gaze dark and dull before he turned around to leave the cell. Karin was still standing in front of Riye's crumpled form, feeling a small pang of pity wash over her. She noticed that Sasuke had stopped his track in front of the door.

"Take care of her injuries. The wounds are serious."

Before Karin could ask something else, Sasuke walked away and closed the open door behind him.

-----------

_It was smoking and the metallic tang of blood hung in the air. Storm clouds were already on their way, but she doubted even a large fall of rain could wipe away the smell of blood and death from the area around Kirigakure. Citizens were screaming and crying in agony, trying to flee from the danger while shinobi were fighting each other furiously as terror filled the streets and forest around the city walls._

_She could feel her own heart bumping rapidly against her chest and noticed that the earth sunk in with every quick pace she took. White fogs began to escape her lips faster by the minute as her breathing was starting to become shorter. But she didn't care, she just had to move faster than this. Her hand kept pressure against the large wound on her arm, which was bleeding profusely._

_The sound of a blade drawing drew her full attention, but when she turned around, there was no one there. She narrowed her eyes slightly and kept on running down the path in front of her, dodging the shuriken and kunai that flew around her._

_Looking ahead of her, she could see a dead ANBU laying on the floor. His head, still donning the white porcelain mask, lay beside him. She didn't even flinch at the horrific sight as she never stopped her track as she emotionlessly jumped over the deceased body of the ANBU. This all made her relive the horrors that usually came with this sort of encounters, and the feeling felt like a kunai between her ribs._

_She abruptly stopped her track, almost slipping through the mud as her eyes quickly scanned the area around her; the sound of clashing metal, explosions and painful screams filled the air, being surrounded by pure chaos and terror._

_Her thoughts were so blurred that everything just tended to meld together, causing her not to stay totally focused. However, something suddenly broke her chain of thoughts as she sensed something that was approaching her in high speed._

_Almost automatically, she quickly ducked behind a tree as an explosion caused by a very powerful jutsu tore up the area around her. She held her hand back to the wound on her arm again to stop the blood flow before she continued on running._

_"Onee-san!" The voice was sharp and frantic and somehow it cut through her trance like a knife. She looked ahead of her and saw a sight that made her heart go rapid as soon as she recognized who the injured person was._

_'What the….. Haya?' her mind cried out, quickly rushing over and plumped down beside her. The dark liquid that was trickling down from a deep wound near her upper torso was catching her eye immediately. Her younger sister was a mess, and close to delirium as well. Riye silently caught her breath and carefully took Hayaka's hand with her own and guided it towards the wound._

_"Keep pressure here…" Riye noticed her voice was full of raw emotion, barely noticing the pain in her arm now. She looked down at her ypunger sister with arched eye-brows, her expression confused and pale._

_Asakura Hayaka, with a deep breath, tried to exhale a few words. "Riye… you have to find Onee-san… you-"_

_But Riye cut her off softly, still keeping Hayaka's hand pressed against the wound. "Shh! Hold still now." she shooed softly while she checked the rest of her body for fatal injuries. "Who did this to you?"_

_Although the circumstances were everything but amusing, Hayaka still managed to let out a dry chuckle. "Akatsuki… the guy with those wolves…"_

_"Kawada Hiroki? That son of a-" but Riye got cut of by a sudden movement that Hayaka made, trying to get into a sitting position. "Don't move, baka!" She bit out as she gently pushed her back down into the dirt._

_"I'm going to try to heal a few of your wounds, but I have to be fast since we both are very vulnerable here in the middle of all those fights. I don't want to die by a kunai flying through my head." she paused to smile that emphasize what she meant, while she attempted to take off one of her gloves. She was ready to meld some Chakra into the palm of her hand, only her wrist got caught by Hayaka's weak and bloodied hand that stopped her from doing it._

_Riye eyed her in confusion, though Hayaka could swear she saw a flicker of anger in her eyes. "There is no time for you to heal me…. you know you have to find Onee-san as quick as possible. You both are in danger and you know it."_

_Riye flinched at her words. She didn't need to word her anxiety and fear right now; Hayaka could just feel it that Riye was simply terrified. They just knew each other for too long to sense things like that. "You don't know what you're saying, Haya… I'm not going to leave you behind in this battlefield all-"_

_"Riye, go."_

_She knew that she was right and she knew that she has to find her elder sister, though she couldn't ignore the burning lump that had appeared inside of her throat. After all, that was what the War was all about. Reality had wandered into the realms of the surreal, and her head was beginning to feel light and faraway. Riye flinched as two small tear droplets left her eyes… just because she knew that reality was unfair._

_It was unfair because she had no other choice than leaving her little sister behind in her terrible state, it was unfair because she was running out of time…. it was unfair because she has to find her sister in this chaos and it was unfair because she was loosing control. Riye gritted her teeth in frustration as she guided Hayaka towards the nearest tree, to shelter themselves a little from the powerful explosions. Riye removed the shuriken holster from her thigh and took out a small bottle which looked somehow familiar to Hayaka. She had seen Riye using it all the time when she cleaned her wounds._

_"I want you to stay here and try to clean your wounds a little with this," Riye ordered her tonelessly, placing the small bottle of alcohol beside her with a small cloth. "Keep pressure to the wound on your chest… it's not fatal, but it's a nasty wound. Try to treat it well… and try to avoid further battles. If I manage to find Daisuke, I'll send him over here to check upon you. "_

_She checked the rest of her for broken bones and sprains, and finding none, examined her internal organs through gentle pressure."Is there pain?" she asked as she pressed on various parts of her middle and lower torso._

_Hayaka shook her head, giving her a small smile, "Hurry now…"_

_Riye slowly nodded her head in understanding, knowing that she had to be quick now. She cast her team-mate one last glance in worry before she whirled around and disappeared into the forest. But she couldn't ignore the feeling of pure guilt that was residing in the pit of her stomach… and she knew she had to find her sister and her other team-mate now as quickly as she could._

She awoke in shock. Reality struck her like lightning as she realized what had happened, partly remembering the flashes that she had seen just minutes ago.

"What is it?"

Her head snapped up at the figure that was sitting next to her: it was a woman with fire red hair, her eyes looking straight at her behind a pair of glasses, Looking down at her hands, Riye noticed that she had been taking care of her injuries. Riye stared through at her like she wasn't even there, suddenly feeling something wet trickling down her face.

"I… I think.... I have have left my little sister behind in battlefield."

_-------_

"It is of no doubt that the Akatsuki was preparing to wage a war. Their numbers have grown very rapid and they are no less unyielding than before. As evidence that their brutality and power is increasing, we take, for example, the latest ANBU teams that was send last week to spy on them. Two returned, five were killed in action, and three were missing, probably taken prisoners to be tortured for information-"

Without looking up from the documents on her desk, the Gondaime Hokage poured more sake into her drinking cup as she flipped with her other hand through the slightly abused papers.

"What was the mission, Tsunade-sama?" one of the members of the council inquired incredulously, hardly believing that only two of the best ANBU returned from just spying.

"A mere recon mission. We need to obtain more information about their plans, for example, what new techniques they have at their disposal and whatnot. No one was supposed to get injured or abducted."

A long silence settled into the large room until Kakashi dispersed it. "Fortunately we protected Konoha and Naruto succesfully from their attacks. This war is simply inevitable, Hokage-sama." His right eye turned to Tsunade, and he was satisfied with nods from the council members.

A tight smile curled Tsunade's lips and she stood regally. "Fine, there will be no more playing around. Gai- call in more available jounins and ANBU teams to protect the northern and southern wall. Alliances will be made with other villages. Representatives will be sent to warn the other villages about the Akatsuki. Old ties will be retightened and new ones will be made."

After receiving mutters of consent, Tsunade moved on listlessly. "And Kakashi- I want you to get the Mizukage to me out of the western guest house. I need to have a word with her about the disappearance of her sister Asakura Riye."

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_Next chapter: Allegiance_


	3. 2: Allegiance

A small summary till now: The Raijuu Jinchuuriki (six tails) Asakura Riye has been captured by Akatsuki during an unexpected attack to her hometown Kirigakure. She is the sister of the current Mizukage, the Gondaime although I made her name up because this is still unknown. (recent manga) They both share a younger sister named Hayaka (chapter 1) At the time that Kirigakure was under attack by Akatsuki, Konoha got attacked by Akatsuki as well only they managed to protect Naruto from abduction. After Riye got captured, the Mizukage and a few shinobi went to Konoha to request their help to bring down Akatsuki especially since Uchiha Sasuke was involved. Riye her team-mates are Daisuke and Hana. Kawada Hiroki is an OC also, another OC member comes later. Ao and Chōjūrō are no OC's (recent manga).

For questions, mail me or ask in a review. This is the next chapter, I hope you like it. Thanks for the review and the fav. adds!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter two: Allegiance

**Alpha**

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A few days ago

The shattering sound of the earth splitting in two boomed through the area. The Gondaime Mizukage slammed her fist into Kisame's stomach and he retaliated by grabbing the Kizukage and hurling her across the area.

"Is that all you've got, _Gondaime-sama?_" Kisame asked her in a raspy voice, amusement flickering in his small eyes as he rose his Samehada again.

Asakura Yura, known as the Gondaime Mizukage, stood up quickly from the small crater she had made, jumping back towards Kisame with enough force to cause the ground where he had been standing to explode in a torrent of dust and rock shards. She heard Ao on a distance but didn't pay too much attention to it. Ao and Chōjūrō had their own fight with those two Akatsuki to deal with. Yura would take down Kisame, she'd do anything to protect her sister from these idiots…she would kill him for all the trouble he and the rest of the Akatsuki had caused. With him dead, it would be another Akatsuki member less.

"You look troubled," Kisame conceded as he and Yura continued to exchange blows. "It really must hurt that you cannot protect your little sister. You really are a failure, just as the former Mizukage _Yagura._"

Yura spat out a small mouthful of blood, giving a derisive snort.

Kisame laughed at her reaction, "But this is foolish. You all are bringing down Kirigakure for one person."

Yura's eyes flickered as she twisted to the side, wincing as Kisame's Samehada shaved her stomach. As she began falling backwards she grabbed Kisame's cloak, wrenching him around and throwing him across the clearing to keep her own footing. Kisame flipped in midair, landing on his feet and clutching the side of his head. Blood began to drip from his fingertips as he glared at Yura. His eyes narrowed.

_Oh… the wench managed to draw a senbon during her fall…?_

Yura came back to her feet as quick as she could, wincing at the pain of her stomach that was caused by his Samehada.

_I have to get this healed… I really didn't see that coming, damn that Akatsuki freak! His chakra-cleaving sword has managed to draw some of my chakra too…_

Yura snapped back to her senses as she noticed that Kisame had begun to go though many hand seals. Her eyes dilated as reality struck her; he'd been too fast and she'd been too slow.

"**Suiton: Suikoudan no Jutsu!**" a column of water came up from behind Kisame, ready to strike at Yura. It approached her in high speed and Yura only watched it, still clutching her stomach. She knew she was unable to dodge this on time…

"**Suiton: Suijinheki!**"

Yura snapped her eyes shut, expecting the column of water to hit her hard. But the blow never came. She carefully opened one eye, realising that a defensive water jutsu had been performed that blocked Kisame's incoming Water Shark Projectile technique. The water barrier was totally surrounding her, like a huge liquid wall. But who-?

"Just a mere tip, _nee-san_… keep your eyes open when someone attacks you. "

Yura snapped her head up at the familiar figure that was standing in front of her. Her hair was dark, almost black, which was bound together into a long ponytail. Her Mist forehead protector was tight around her upper arm and Yura noticed a nasty wound underneath. The kunoichi turned her face half over her shoulder to take a glance at Yura. Their eyes met. The same pair of eyes. They were both icy blue. A small grin tugged back Yura's lips, relieved to see she was alright.

"I'll keep that in mind for the next time, _imouto_…" Yura mumbled weakly, seeing now that her younger sister began flying through a string of hand seals.

"**Suiton: Mizurappa no Jutsu!**" she roared. Riye broke her defensive jutsu in time; the water barrier fell down on the ground with a splash, allowing her to expel the strong jet of water at Kisame.

He bared his razor sharp teeth at the water jutsu. "Interesting. Still using the jutsu from our village, eh? I suspected you'd use the chakra of the _Rokubi_ more by now, hehe." He shot backwards, flipping in the air to avoid Riye's jet of water. However, Riye managed to expel another strong jet of water, which was unable for Kisame to dodge it now.

Kisame couldn't help to give a small grunt in annoyance, lifting up his Samehada to block Riye's incoming attack. His right hand held his Samehada firmly, while his left hand formed a few one-handed hand seals.

"**Suiton: Teppoudama!**" Kisame manifested a large amount of water in his mouth, then finally spit it at Riye in the shape of a bullet. It caused Riye to cancel her attack as she dodged it easily, landing effortlessly next to the Mizukage.

"I really don't have time for this nonsense." Riye gritted her teeth, casting an impatient glance at her sister, to see if she had recovered from her injury. "Yura, do you think you're able to handle him off further?"

Yura flexed her hands, clenching and unclenching them into fists as she slipped on her gloves again. "I think I am ready, yes." Her voice was calm, although it vibrated slightly with a small sign of anger, "And you, _imouto_, should be more careful right now."

Her eyes met her's—steel blue clashed with steel blue.

"…I will."

Yura noticed that Riye's hard eyes were beginning to soften, like she showed some sort of admiration.

"Daisuke and Hana are near the lake," Yura whispered to her in a low voice, her eyes rolling over towards the left, into the direction of the place where Ao and Chōjūrō were fighting. Riye followed her eyes and caught her team-mates fighting with two Akatsuki named Zetsu and Kawada Hiroki.

"You should take Daisuke and Hana and get out of Kiri before Madara gets there," Her eyes fell down to the dirt for a moment, "you need to be save…"

She looked back at Yura, casting her a warm, reassuring smile. "Fight that traitor on a distance and stay away from his Samehada, otherwise he might shave a limb off next time. When you're done, you should check up our imouto with Chōjūrō. She's seriously injured, you'll find her near the gates."

And with that she disappeared towards the lake, making her way over to her team-mates as quick as she could. Kisame noticed the sudden departure of Asakura Riye as he was ready to form another string of hand seals.

"You are not going anywhere, you little—" but Kisame never got the chance to finish his hand seals and perform his jutsu to stop her as Yura suddenly slammed her fist into the ground, creating another crater. Again, Kisame grunted in annoyance as he flipped into the air.

"You are not going to do anything!" Riye heard her sister bark in anger as another blow filled the air. _Sister and her strength… it's unbelievable…_

She continued in high speed, noticing that the pain in her upper arm was starting to become worse. She winced and knew she had to heal it as fast as she could, or it might get infected.

_It can wait._

Suddenly her pass way got blocked by a tall, lean figure that was standing in the middle of the path and immediately stopped.

_Such an evil chakra…._

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she sensed his amount of chakra. His hair was dark, as the bangs in front of his face nearly reached his chin. But his eyes were the thing that set her on the verge. Her eyes widened slightly at the crimson Sharingan, that shone through the darkness of the forest. She almost felt desperate at the sight of this person.

_So you are… Uchiha Sasuke… the missing nin who everyone is after…_

Riye knew she couldn't fight him alone for long. It was not that she was not strong, but she knew she would not stand a chance against his Sharingan, let alone his Mangekyou.

Riye gritted her teeth, feeling the moist sliding down her temples. _If he's going to use his Mangekyou Sharingan directly on me now… then there's definitely no hope left for me._

She threw three senbon at him, watching them hit the tree that had been behind him, as he dodged them easily. She felt his presence suddenly behind her as she quickly drew a few senbon out of her sleeve, throwing them over her back as they clashed away the kunai that was launched at her. She whirled around, seeing that Sasuke had gone through a few hand seals: he had stopped on the seal of the Tiger.

_He's too fucking fast…_

"**Katon: Karyuu Endan no Jutsu!**" he quickly proceeded to blow a large jet of fire from his mouth and hit her head on. After a moment or two, he broke his jutsu. He didn't seem all too surprised when he only saw a burnt log laying on the ground.

Standing on a tree bench a few meters away from the scene, Riye watched the Uchiha from her highest perch. _I have to stay away from those eyes as much as possible…_

Riye suddenly blinked in surprise when she saw that he had flickered in front of her, ready to blow another jet of fire at her. She jumped backwards, flipping in the air before her feet skimmed the ground, bracing herself for another one of Sasuke's attacks. It came—but rather from behind than from in front of her.

"Kuso—" Riye cursed, before he hit the side of her head hard and she went flying into a tree. It shattered, and she gritted her teeth as several splinters stabbed her body.

_Che… even my attempts to dodge his attacks are useless!_ Riye thought angrily, trying to get back on her feet. _His Taijutsu and Ninjutsu are flawless… this can only mean that his Doujutsu is ten times worse._

Riye eyed Sasuke warily. She wiped the small trickle of blood that came sliding from her temple down her face, sighing softly to herself.

The sinking feeling in her stomach told her that Uchiha Sasuke was planning not letting her through or even worse, capturing her, and Riye knew her situation was far worse than she'd expected.

Agony and hopelessness mixed in her stomach, a very dangerous combination. She felt so angry and stupid with herself; she was not even able to protect herself, leave alone her precious ones.

_Don't worry about Daisuke, don't worry about Hana. Focus on your own battle. You cannot reach them if you're going to get yourself captured by the hand of that Uchiha. _The voice in her head was making sense now, snapping back to the Uchiha that was standing in front of her.

Riye leapt forward towards him, ready to make her move. Sasuke merely threw up his leg to block and Riye slammed her kick into Sasuke's defence.

"Hn." She heard Sasuke let out, as of thinking pathetic of her, before he twirled around, kicking. Riye blocked with her upper arm, as the kick landed right on her forehead protector that was tight around her wound. She grimaced at the huge twinge of pain, her hand grasping it immediately.

Her eyes squinted as hers met his for a brief moment, narrowing even more in anger. _Damn him… damn him… _she could feel her heart sink deeper with each second that Sasuke prevented her from letting her through. However, she couldn't give up like this, not in front of an Akatsuki.

"Damn you—!!"

She suddenly snapped her head up at the new voice, which she recognized immediately. Riye glanced over her shoulder and saw that Daisuke was fighting Kawada Hiroki, another high Akatsuki member. Hiroki was throwing kunai at Daisuke, but he jumped out of the way and sent a huge shower of senbon into his direction. Hiroki quickly went through a few hand seals as his wolves suddenly came from behind to protect him. Small explosions got followed as he and Daisuke continued their fight.

Riye couldn't help to feel a blend of relief and worry grow inside the pit of her stomach. _At least Daisuke looks like he's pulling the strings in this fight…_

Riye snapped back to her own fight, her eyes focused on Sasuke's feet. She was ready to go through another string of hand seals, but suddenly her attention caught one of Hiroki's wolves, which was holding an explosion tag between his teeth… and it approached Daisuke from behind.

Riye's heart almost stopped. _Damn him_! _He's suppressing his chakra in that clone wolf so well that Daisuke doesn't even notice!_

"**Suiton: Suijinheki!**" Riye quickly preformed a defensive jutsu to shield herself from Sasuke's oncoming attack as she turned to her team-mate.

"Daisuke, get out of there!" she tried to scream above the clashing metal and other battles that were going on, but she wondered if perhaps he didn't hear her. Her heart made a little jump of happiness when he heard her warning and flew to the ground to dodge the attack of the wolf. The wolf hit the tree that had been standing behind him and exploded as the blow sent dust and dirt through the air.

She got back to her feet, muscles in her legs tensing as she looked around for any sign of the Uchiha. She couldn't see him and couldn't sense him either. A wave of euphoria went through her as she realized now that she could make a run for it and get to—

A hand roughly grabbed Riye's injured upper arm and snapped her around. She cursed herself for her foolishness and optimism and caught a glimpse of his eyes in a cataclysmic moment as the dust settled. She couldn't avoid to look him directly in the eye now. Hers met the crimson Sharingan and she was rather surprised by what she saw: his Akatsuki cloak was half-unbuttoned, revealing his masculine lips, paired with a strong jaw. Other than that, she noticed that his lashes were long, almost envying them. Even during the immense anger and fear that she felt for this man at the moment, there was no mistake about that he was surprisingly good-looking.

Suddenly the Sharingan eyes began to change and took the shape of a strange wheel. She could feel her own eyes widen at this. _Kaleidoscope… the Mangekyou…?_

Riye knew it was impossible now to avoid his eyes, though she tried to close them, but it failed. Thanks to Hatake Kakashi, she was well informed about the Uchiha bloodline limit and knew this was unavoidable. The taste of her own defeat was starting to feel bad inside her mouth and she couldn't remember the last time she had been preserved this badly. The anger overwhelmed her, her pride all damaged. She roughly moved her arm in an effort to get away, feeling the sharp pain shoot up her arm again.

The only light was now coming from the crimson Mangekyou and most of the sounds of the outside world became completely unintelligible. There was no more battle around her, no more chaos and terror… no more pain.

In the blink of an eye, she was away from the scene and away from his grasp. Next thing she knew she wasn't standing anymore, but laying straight on her back. Then it began and horror started to fill her mind.

_The ice started from deep within her chest, spreading outward, thick and heavy, carrying the dull ache of it through her. Arms, legs, neck, fingers, her whole body felt as if something had physically pressed it down, grinding, and pulverizing until everything is nothing but one blunt, crushing haze. Then, the needs of life take over, and she gasps, sucking in the air that is really too thick to breathe. It burned, scraping her throat, and her eyes flew open, painfully breaking open the slight crusts that had formed at the corners._

_She tried again to take in as much of the air lacking oxygen as her lungs would hold, as she realized that she could see no more than she could seconds ago. This was not the darkness of night where shapes are dim and shadows long. This was true darkness. Nothing to see and the panic starts in earnest._

_Riye tried to sit up, but immediately bumped her head and found that she couldn't. Something confined her, held her down. She squirmed and twisted, hands reaching out and grappling to understand, as the unaccustomed muscles cramped painfully, causing her to cry out softly. Her fingers found satin and hardness, dancing across the fabric covered walls of her tiny prison as her brain worked frantically. She started gasping in the thin and stale air, trying hard to stay in control, assess as she has been trained to do._

_"No... this isn't real. This is genjutsu."_

_This was her nightmare. Stuck in a coffin, alive, but floating in a space between life and death, having to dig her way out, but that had been surreal, leaving only a vague impression of terror. This was the real thing. And with that thought, she snapped._

_The scream tears from her throat, horrible and raspy, but as loud as she could manage, and it doesn't stop. Her attempts to kick are futile, cut short by the tiny space that seemed to contract further. It moved in, tightening, closing in about her struggles. With painful angles she moved her arms up to tear at her prison._

_The satin and thin padding beneath pulled away quickly, merely stapled to the wood, meant solely for show, and where it catches, it shredded under her frantic fingers. Then she found the wood and kept going. The unfinished surface that she has revealed snags the nails and they begin to bend back and break as she forced them into the wood, taking away mere splinters for her efforts. The shards imbed themselves in her flesh, the wood grew rough and slick with her blood as she skinned knuckles and makes her fingers bleed from the tips, disregarding the flesh, trying to use the very bones to free herself._

"_Get me out of this!" her throat was sore and it hurt, the lack of oxygen making her nauseous. _

_Briefly, she knew that this was a genjutsu caused by the Mangekyou, but the pain felt so real that she just couldn't keep her mind straight. Her screams cut off short, no longer able to be sustained. The flaring pain lanced across her ribs and up, leaving her raw, as she continued to desperately cry out silently with the fear and pain._

"_Get me out of this…"_

_The lack of fresh air made her light-headed and even more dizzy, but she couldn't stop it. She was dying a far more horrible death than she had ever thought to meet. Kunai in the neck, katana between the ribs, would be expected, sudden. But this utter helplessness and mind-shredding terror..._

"_I want out… please…"_

_And then the power of unconsciousness took over her, driving Riye into a world of true darkness._

His hand automatically went towards his left eye, finally suffering now from the after-effects of his Tsukuyomi. Using the Mangekyou four times in a row was now surely taking its toll on him. His eyes started to sting sharply as his vision blurred. He couldn't help to let out a small growl in anger.

_So this is how Itachi must have felt…_

Sasuke leaned down; his eyes back to their dim, midnight colour and now resting on the limp figure of the unconscious kunoichi.

"The Raijuu Jinchuuriki surely is a damn pain, Sasuke-san." Kisame's voice came out of nowhere, but Sasuke had sensed him coming. He stepped next to Sasuke, looking at the crumpled form in front of them.

"Being cruel, as usual. You're just like Itachi-san. " Kisame started to let out a raspy chuckle, baring his razor sharp teeth. "I gladly would chop those annoying hands off of her. She won't need them anyway and it would be—"

"We quickly have to take her to Rain, before Kiri and the Mizukage get aware of her disappearance." Sasuke interrupted Kisame emotionlessly. He stared at her forehead protector which was tied around her upper arm, his face unreadable though his eyes were still squinting together now and then, trying to bear the sharp pain that stung him.

"Get away from her!"

Both Sasuke and Kisame merely turned themselves around and faced a young dark-haired shinobi, his body covered in a few scratches. Kisame let out a dry chuckle in amusement when his eyes found the Mist forehead protector that was tied around his leg.

"Heh, if this isn't Ichijo Daisuke…you have grown taller."

Daisuke flinched at the sight of seeing Riye laying unconscious and crumpled on the ground. His fingers tapped against the sendon he held and his eyes narrowed when he recognized both Akatsuki members.

"Daisuke!" Daisuke heard the Gondaime Mizukage calling his name in worry, her footsteps approaching him in high speed but he made no effort to turn around.

Yura finally reached Daisuke, as he took a glance at his side and noticed that she was badly injured, probably from her fight against Zetsu. Her eyes already had found their way to the tall Uchiha.

"Uchiha Sasuke…?" she softly mumbled, but the Uchiha didn't even seem to notice her presence as he remained cold and emotionless as before.

Kisame snorted at her pathetic sight. "Oh… you're still alive?" He sniggered, lifting his Samehada over his shoulders. "Sasuke-san, you take the Jinchuuriki out of here, then me and Samehada gladly will shave these two to dead."

"No need for that, Kisame no danna."

Kisame's eyes flashed as Hiroki appeared in front of him and Sasuke. He turned his head over his shoulder, eyeing Sasuke and Kisame. "You take care of the Raijuu Jinchuuriki. I can handle these two myself, isn't that right sweethearts?" The four furred beasts started to bark out loudly, causing the Mizukage en Daisuke to flinch a little.

Sasuke and Kisame exchanged as they slightly nodded in agreement, almost unseen. "Let's go, Kisame."

"You are not taking Riye anywhere, you wretched—!" Both Daisuke quickly preformed a few hand seals, but Hiroki's wolves quickly attacked him from behind to stop him.

Sasuke and Kisame got the hint that the had to leave the scene as fast as possible. Sasuke quickly turned around, his footsteps vanishing away from Kisame and Riye's limp figure. Kisame got the impression, since Sasuke had made no effort to take the unconscious Jinchuuriki with him, that he was supposed to take her with him. He grunted, bowing over and picked her up carelessly as he swung her over his Samehada. He quickly followed Sasuke's lead and carried Riye with him on his Chakra-cleaving sword and vanished in the thick mist, leaving Hiroki alone with Yura and Daisuke. Even through their calm exterior, an air of urgency was felt.

--------------

Back to the present

It was smoking and the metallic tang of blood hung in the air. Storm clouds were already on their way, but Sakura doubted even a large fall of rain could wipe away the smell of blood and death from the area around Konoha.

"So Akatsuki abducted your sister Riye, who is the Jinchuuriki of the six-tails Bijuu?" Tsunade demanded as she immediately began healing Kiba. Shizune instantaneously began looking over Sakura.

They looked up when they saw Naruto, Kakashi, Yamato and the others approaching them. Sakura gave a happy, relieved smile when she saw Naruto, before turning back to Tsunade, her gaze darkening again as they all were facing the Gondaime Mizukage and the mist nin. There were four mist nin standing in the corner behind the Mizukage. Sakura recognized two men as the Mizukage's bodyguards, Ao and Chojiro, but she couldn't identify the other two nin. One of them was a girl with short blond hair, reaching her shoulders. Her brown eyes held a look of confusion and sadness as she looked to the person next to her, a boy with dark hair and grey eyes. Sakura couldn't see him all too clear because his back was half turned to her, but from what she could make out was that he was quite handsome.

"Yes." Yura whispered in a hoarse voice, while she continued her healing process on Kiba, who seemed to be close to delirium.

"What happened precisely?" Naruto asked sharply, realizing the tense air that hung between the mist nin.

"It all happened so fast. Just like Konoha, Akatsuki attacked Kiri out of nowhere— They probably decided to capture the Rokubi and the Kyuubi at the same time. We had to fight off a few powerful Akatsuki- Hoshigaki Kisame, Kawada Hiroki, Uchiha Sasuke… " Naruto stiffened at the sound of Sasuke's name. His eyes widened as he clenched his fists.

"I fought off the Wolfman." Daisuke continued. "It took a while for me to notice that Riye was fighting Sasuke on a distance. She was having a hard time to bear him but she kept trying on shrugging him off."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. _S-Sasuke… have you?_

"Why was she trying to shrug him off instead of fighting him?" Tsunade asked softly, but she though that she knew the answer already.

The Mizukage looked up in pain and eyed Tsunade, ready to answer her question. "She was trying to reach Hana and Daisuke… I ordered her to get her team-mates and get out of Kiri as soon as possible."

"Damn those Akatsuki bastards." Hana, the female mist nin and Riye's other team mate growled out, speaking for the first time. She was too confused. Standing here in Konoha without her best friend by her side just felt too odd to describe.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "What happened after Riye's fight with Sasuke?"

All mist nin remained deadly silent while Naruto and the rest were in too much of a shock.

Daisuke finally answered her question, his stomach feeling plummet. "I was so occupied in my battle that I didn't notice that one of Hiroki's wolves was approaching me from behind with an explosion tag. However…" he continued, his voice dull and low. "Riye did notice and warned me in time so I was able to dodge it. The explosion caused to settle a lot of dust into the area, but the next thing I noticed was that Riye was laying on the ground, unconscious and injured while the Akatsuki members Uchiha Sasuke and Hoshigaki Kisame were standing in front of her."

Naruto just stared. _Sasuke did this? No… surely this was some kind of mistake. It had to be..._

"Why didn't you stop them?" Naruto suddenly burst out, no longer able to control his emotions. It caused Daisuke, Hana and the Gondaime Mizukage to flinch at the same time and he knew he was being unfair, but he didn't care. Though he even didn't know this girl, the thoughts at that the Raijuu Jinchuuriki could end up like Gaara angered him even more.

"We weren't able to. Kawada Hiroki told Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Sasuke that he was able to fight us off while they could take care of Riye." Daisuke explained gruffly.

"We tried, but we too, were weakened and injured from our earlier battles." added Ao, one of the bodyguards of the Mizukage.

Naruto looked up at them and noticed they were all still a mess: the girl Hana was a mess, although she looked a little better thanks to some healing techniques. Daisuke had a few scratches but reading his body language, Naruto could tell that he must have used a lot of chakra to fight off an Akatsuki like the Wolfman. His eyes rested on the Mizukage a little longer as he noticed the bandages that covered on her stomach, arms and legs, which were caused by Kisame's Samehada.

"Maa, this is bad…" Kakashi looked down at his hands before looking back up at the rest. "I suggest we should send out a few ANBU squads to track Akatsuki down. Asakura Riye can't be far away from here. "

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "That will do."

Daisuke just couldn't believe it. When was it that lost to some and then also got captured? Surely this was some horrible joke played on him. A crude and horrible joke. Surely _his_ Riye couldn't be in the hands of Akatsuki…

"Unbelievable." he murmured weakly before he got to his feet, swaying a little. The rest eyed him in interest.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Yura asked him in a low tone, and once again, she thought that she knew the answer already. Daisuke made no effort to look at her, his back still turned.

"Getting Riye back of course, what else?" he answered coolly, though his emotions were confusing him.

Naruto's eyes widened as his face cleared up a little. "I'm going with you."

Tsunade watched as Naruto and Daisuke exchanged looks. "Both of you stop it right there. You're not going anywhere at the moment."

Naruto just growled deep in his throat and Daisuke looked down at the ground, clenching his fists in anger.

Naruto answered back immediately, "But Tsunade baa-chan— surely we have to help them! We can't just sit and do nothing! What if Akatsuki already—!" He abruptly stopped himself from saying more, his blue eyes falling down to the ground.

"I didn't say that I wasn't going to send out an ANBU search team to track her down," Tsunade said. "I am. First off, I'm sending certain members of the two main ANBU squads— a few of you. Kakashi— you are healed enough to go, you'll pair up with Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru en Choji. You and Yamato will be in charge. Sakura and Sai, you need to stay here— I don't want any argument!" She snapped as she saw him open their mouths open.. "Gai— you'll be in charge of Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Tenten, Neji and Lee."

"The rest will remain here in Konoha. We're going to need to elevate the shinobi guard status. I'll need you to bring back any of our shinobi that are on missions. With these ones gone, we can't risk another attack." they nodded as they vanished to follow the Hokage's orders.

"Get ready, all of you. You might get sidetracked by other members of the Akatsuki, so be careful. Team Gai goes west, Team Kakashi goes north. The platoon from Kiri can go with team Kakashi. Be sure to send a message bird every two days," Tsunade announced.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." as they abruptly al left. The Kiri shinobi quickly went after them, only leaving the two Kages, Sakura, Sai and Shizune behind.

"Thank you, Tsunade. I can't thank you enough for your help… I know that Kiri hasn't not been very good at forming allies with other countries, but you were the first I thought of. I really didn't know what to do." Yura looked at the brown eyed woman, who immediately grabbed two cups and placed them next to a bottle of sake.

"I think… that we both can use a drink."

---------------------

Next chapter: _Restless_


	4. 3: Restless

A/N: First of all, thanks a lot for the reviews and the adds. I really enjoyed receiving them! Secondly to ThaCitroz: good to see you don't see her as a MS, I really detest them. Riye is far from perfect, at least I try to make her imperfect. Thanks also for the msg: good to see you all like the storyline. Ok, now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I really don't.

* * *

Chapter three: Restless

**Alpha**

* * *

The first thing she could feel was the sharp pain that flamed through her left knee. Riye groaned hard, fighting to open her eyes. She struggled against her instincts to lay completely still on the ice cold floor to rest her knee and sat up straight. She sighed as white fogs escaped her lips, realizing that she'd to be far away from Kiri since it was freezing.

She squinted her eyes and noticed that it had to be day by now. The room, or rather dungeon, was dimly lit and not allowing her to see much of the environment she was currently in. She rubbed her head, quickly gathering back her memories, hissing as she realized that her bruised knee was caused by the fight she had with Uchiha Sasuke. The day couldn't possibly get any worse.

She held out her arm, faintly noticing the wall there as the soft light bounced of the wall to the floor. Using the wall as a leverage, Riye attempted to stand up, gritting her teeth so hard it hurt. But her knee was too painful to stand up and she landed back on the hard, stone floor. Stifling a gasp of pain, she crawled to the wall and leaned against it, propping her knee up against her stomach. She quickly stared to examine herself and noticed that there had been taken care of her previous wounds judging by the bandages that were covering her arm and waist. Then she faintly remembered the red haired girl and how she had taken care of her injuries. Her eyes caught the sight of her knee again; judging by the dried blood she expected that there had been taken care of it as well. It meant that the pain had to be even worse if there hadn't be taken care of.

It was then that she heard people nearing the room. Their pacing was calm and all Riye could do was grimace. Being a hostage of Akatsuki promised nothing good and it would stall her from her destinations. Her grimace slowly turned into a scowl and by the time the door opened, Riye was infuriated, squinting her eyes as a bright light streamed into the room through the now open door.

"Looks like you've grown much into an annoying little kunoichi, haven't you _Riye-chan_?" Kisame's raspy voice sounded from the door opening. Riye squinted her eyes a little from the light and could barely make out Kisame's huge silhouette in the threshold.

"She's awake, Sasuke-san." he said, not to her, but to the figure that had suddenly appeared beside him.

Anger, so much unadulterated anger.

Riye narrowed her eyes at the sight of the Uchiha, remembering now clearer how he had not gone easy on her during their last fight and how he had fought her back in Kiri. Small chills went down her spine as she thought back of how he'd used his Mangekyou on her… and how very afraid she'd been back then.

Abruptly, Riye started to ponder about the possible escaping options. Though Riye knew that she had to be careful around the Uchiha since his eyes could disable her for days. She could tell from experience.

Riye clenched her jaw. "Why are you doing this?"

"Are you able to stand?" Uchiha Sasuke's calm deep voice drifted through the room as he completely ignored her previous question.

A little disappointed that she had been unable to evoke a reaction out of the Uchiha, she pushed herself up. Her knee was still hurting, but it was a dull pain now instead of the flaming pain she had felt earlier when she had awoken from her sleep. Her knees buckled under her after she attempted to take a step into their direction, signalling that she was still incredibly exhausted, even after two days of sleep.

Another attempt sent her back to the floor and Riye bit her lip until it bled, unwilling to put herself in a vulnerable position now that those two Akatsuki members stood in front of her. Her knees throbbed violently, but Riye knew she had to stand up. She most certainly did not want to test Sasuke's patience.

"_Maa_, you really didn't go easy on her… did you Sasuke-san?" she heard Kisame's raspy voice ask in a chuckle.

She felt his Sharingan piercing through the darkness and quickly tried to stand up again, but failed miserably. As she tried to rain some strength, Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of her, taking her by surprise. Sasuke stared down at her, roughly taking her wrist in his hand. He helped her up, allowing her to hold on to his large hand for support while he calmly trotted out of the dungeon.

Riye fumed with anger, trying her best not to cry out in pain while Sasuke walked in front of her in a fast pace. He didn't even bother to check if she was alright. Finally, her knee gave into the pain and became numb. She pulled away from Sasuke's strong hand and allowed herself to collapse on the stone stairs. She tried to activate her chakra once more to heal herself, but once more it had been futile.

A barely audible groan was heard, and she was suddenly being hoisted up over his shoulder, her face facing his back as he made his way to a door. It didn't even occur to her to yell at him for obvious reasons.

First of all, this wasn't just an ordinary member of Akatsuki, this was Uchiha Sasuke. He was legendary. And she was in no state to challenge him into a fight. Secondly, the warmth of his back and shoulder radiating to her body was pleasant, especially since her body felt like ice after sleeping for days on the freezing stone floor.

He finally let go of her, and she sat down on the ground while he opened up the door. Now that he wasn't holding onto her anymore, she felt strangely numb. He opened up the door and gestured for her to go in. Knowing that this wasn't the time to argue, fight or disobey his orders, she stood up slowly and walked into the room, passing Sasuke on her way in.

Completely different from the other room, this one had a bed and little other furniture and was definitely warmer than her dungeon. The only thing that the rooms had in common, was the darkness. Riye waited patiently for her eyes to adjust to the gloomy atmosphere.

"Why did you bring me here?" Riye questioned numbly.

"Sleep." Sasuke spoke in his usual quiet, baritone voice. Once again ignoring her question, he walked out of the doorway and closed the door behind him.

-------

Riye's eyes shot open, looking at the ceiling in surprise. She sat up instantly, disorientated, glancing around the room.

It was cold inside as she disentangled herself from the white sheets, sitting upright as she inspected the rest of the small room, noticing that she was completely alone. The room was spacious, though there was only one bookshelf, a small wardrobe and one desk in it. The bed sat in the middle of the room and a large seat window was opposite the bed. Riye quickly stumbled over as she took the fabric of the curtains between her fingers to move it aside a little. She was disappointed that shelves and iron bars were covering the window from the outside, blocking her view.

_No wonder it's so dark in here… _she thought. In the other corner was a door. Riye padded over to it softly, pushing it open. It was a really small bathroom. She stumbled inside, closing the door behind her and turned on the water, stepping inside immediately.

Riye closed her eyes as she let the water run over her. The small amount of dried blood from the previous fights swirled down the drain and disappeared as quickly as it had come. Her mind was blank and her body was numb. Still her chakra reserves gone, she felt so vulnerable and weak that it disgusted her. _How many times did that idiot Kisame-teme drain me?_ Her legs gave way as she sat down in the shower, letting the water rush over her body, across all the small scars along her back and shoulders.

She stepped out of the shower after a long time, facing the mirror calmly and started untangling her hair with a brush she had found on near the sink. She gave a sigh as she entered her room, surprisingly finding a bowl of rice and a glass of water that had been left for her on the side table. Riye frowned. She hadn't felt anyone enter the room while she had been in the shower. She walked over to the wardrobe and found there a few clothes laying in there, which were obviously way too big for her. She supposed they weren't exactly for her, but she didn't care.

_Better this than nothing… _As Riye changed herself into a pair of gray sweatpants and a black tanktop. Pinning her hair into a ponytail, she looked around the room again. Akatsuki members were near, Riye knew that much. Escape was not probable, but she could either make it work or die trying. There was no way in hell that she'd be kept a hostage of Akatsuki.

Riye grabbed the handle of the window, trying to lift it up without making too much noise. But the window was old and creaked with every inch, thanks to the shelves on the outside. She cursed softly under her breath, trying to slide it open quickly now without pulling the entire wall out.

"Nice try little Riye," a deep, raspy voice sounded from behind her.

Gritting her teeth, she turned around to see Kisame's face, a mocking grin adorning his blue lips. "But your attempt to escape would've been futile anyways. There are chakra seals everywhere around this house, so it's useless." he said, sarcasm saturating his voice. He was leaning against the wall next to the door, his Samehada leaning against him, handle in his hands. Evidently, Kisame was going to shave her if she would make one more move.

Riye reached for her pouch automatically to grab a senbon, ready to attack him as soon as he came for her. But of course…. her pouch had been removed.

_How nice…_

"Are you going to fight me?" Kisame said, laughing shortly. "Amusing, since I drained all your chakra reserves."

"I don't have to depend on my chakra all the time, Kisame-_san_. My stamina is big enough to kick your ass." she said darkly. But before she could even make a move, the door opened again and this time, a woman with long red hair stepped inside. She quickly assessed the situation, glancing from Kisame to Riye. She kept her piercing eyes on Riye for a while, observing her as though she was a mouse in a cage. Riye squinted her eyes a little; she'd definitely seen that girl before….

"Leave, Kisame," Karin said, gesturing him to the door to leave. "Orders from Sasuke, I need to check up on her."

His small round eyes rested on Riye for a little longer, before he finally left with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Sit down on the bed. Cooperate, the sooner am I done with you. And don't talk to me." barked the red-haired woman as she grabbed her elbow and guided her to the bed. As she sat down, Riye was able to look at the woman more closely. She wore a pair of glasses, which slipped of her nose every now and then as she pushed it back up with her index finger. She also noticed the small frown she had on her face all the time. Riye narrowed her eyes; she was tensed.

"You are the one who healed me before… you're one of Uchiha Sasuke's companions, aren't you?" ignoring Karin's earlier request. Karin took her arm none too gently, removing the old bandage. Her face kept unreadable.

"I told you not to speak to me." she hissed, starting to clean the recovering wounds on her arm.

After a tense moment, Riye spoke up: "I don't fucking care, no one orders me what to do." Karin pretended she didn't hear the girl and started to place new bandage around her arm. Riye hissed softly at the annoying girl, trying to look her straight in the eye.

"You're Karin. You're one of Uchiha Sasuke companions and part of _Taka_. Your appearance really stands out too much."

Karin simply continued to ignore her, as she started to clean the healing gap near her temple. Cleaning it with pure alcohol, it started to sting and Riye just couldn't help but to flinch. Finally done, she quickly gathered her medical things and made her way to the door. Before she closed the door behind her, she managed to say: "Someone else will take a look at your arm and knee soon."

------------

Hana gave a small grunt as she slumped down against the large rock in the clearing. Ino leaned on her other side, giving a small groan as she rubbed her legs a little.

"Che, I'm sore… " Hana nodded silently as she looked at the others. Ao, Chojiro, Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Kakashi and Yamato were talking together softly. Hana smiled; she couldn't even express how very grateful and glad she was for their help and kindness. Her smile only faded a little when she noticed one person missing in particular.

Daisuke was leaning against a tree away from the others, staring into the darkness. Hana bit her lip as she watched him, worried and little disappointed.

"You like him, don't you?" Hana looked up to see Ino glaring at her, her blue eyes twinkling.

"I recognize that look you know. I used to stare at someone with that look you just held, but that was a very long time ago."

Hana pursed her lips together, eyes falling down to the ground as a particular memory popped up.

_A younger Hana, probably around a year of fifteen, rushed down the darkened street, carrying a large bag in her arms. She shifted it in her arms as she went, turning a corner._

_Clash._

_Hana flew backward with a yelp, landing on her rear. She heard an exclamation of surprise from someone else as well. She brushed the blonde hair out of her eyes as she made to stand and looked up._

"_Sorry about that Hana." A girl with dark hair and steel blue eyes amended worriedly as she held out a hand. Hana gulped. She recognized her immediately as her team-mate. "I didn't see you."_

"_It's okay." Hana whispered with a small smile as she took the hand put out to her and Riye pulled her upright. Riye then bent down and began picking up Hana's stuff._

"_It's alright, Riye-san. It's my fault, I didn't look where I was going." Hana began quickly, but was silenced as Riye shot her a reproachful look. Hana merely bent down as well, and began gathering the groceries she had bought. _

"_Are those for Daisuke?" Riye asked out of the ordinary._

_Hana looked up, startled, as she dropped the stuff out of her arms. They bounced onto the ground and she bent down to hurriedly pick them up again. _

"_W-what?" She knew her face was turning pink. Shit…_

"_You've been at his place quite a lot lately." Riye answered back as she placed the items she had retrieved back into the paper sack. She looked to Hana, who was still blushing. "Hana, it's alright. I understand. You're a very good friend to bring and help him with homework now that he's a little sick." She stopped, and Hana turned to see her smiling._

"_What?" Hana asked slowly._

"_Na… Just that he should be lucky, with a friend like you." Was all Riye said with a smile as she continued to pick up the last few items. Hana blushed a little at this, before something popped up inside her head._

"_Oh, Riye-san, I almost forgot." Hana gathered the last few items, placing them inside the bag. "Daisuke-kun wanted me to ask you if you were coming by his house for our first group-training tomorrow."_

_Riye gave a small smile. "I wouldn't miss it. Tell him I'll definitely be there."_

_Hana smiled. "Ok." She looked back at Riye. She was so nice! And pretty. And smart. Hana frowned. _

_No wonder Daisuke liked Riye. _

_Hana had always known Daisuke liked Riye, but… Hana had always hoped that he'd see her… that he'd notice her the way he'd notice Riye._

_Hana casted a small smile to Riye in thanks for the help. Riye waved it off with a grin, "Want me to walk with you?"_

_Hana nodded, and they headed towards the Ichijo compound where Daisuke lived. _

"_Riye-san?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_What do you think about Daisuke-kun?"_ _Riye blinked. _

"_Nani?"_

"_He…well…" Hana's eyes looked to the other side so she wouldn't have to look back at Riye, who was watching in faint amusement._

"_Daisuke?" _

"_Yes."_

"_Well… I don't know. I mean, he's kind and smart, and he can be really funny sometimes. He's handsome too. But… I don't know." _

_Hana heard a small sigh at the end of Riye's revelation. Hana bit her lip as she battled within herself on whether or not to speak. "Riye?"_

"_Hn?"_

"_He likes you." Hana transformed a fake smile on her face. "A lot."_

_Riye stopped walking, and Hana turned to look back at her. She had a strange look on her face, as if she were happy and sad at the same time. She was rubbing one arm, shuffling her feet. "He does?"_

"_Hai." _

_Riye nodded. "Oh… " she tucked a few strands of darkbrown hair out of her eyes. She smiled at Hana, a genuine smile. "Thanks." Then she disappeared around the corner._

_Hana noticed that she was standing in front of Daisuke's house. She sighed and leaned against the wall, the bag still in her arms. _

_What had she done? Was it a good thing? _

_The next day, Hana saw Riye talking with Daisuke during training, and he gave a small smile. They went to the annual Mist festival together that night._

_Hana had never seen him so happy, and…she didn't think she'd seen Riye enjoying her time with him too. And then she knew it for certain; she could never have Daisuke the way Riye did._

Hana continued to watch her team-mate, her gaze looking sad. She knew she couldn't have him but… who did Daisuke have now? Hana knew it wasn't Riye's fault. She had cared deeply for him, Hana knew that, but maybe it just wasn't love the way Hana loved Daisuke.

"We're getting closer." Daisuke whispered into the air, and Hana and the others turned to look at him. He was staring into the darkness, his fingers anxiously tapping against the senbon he'd been holding in his hand for days.

-----------------

It has been definitely two days ago since someone had checked her or brought her food.

Her stomach growled slightly and her eyes narrowed. If those Akatsuki bastards weren't going to bring her something to eat, then she would just have to go find some herself. She got off her bed and made herself to the door. Riye opened it and entered the hallway hesitantly, then confidently, as she sensed no one there. The moment she stepped out of her room she expected someone to come rushing forward, shoving her back inside. Instead, there was complete silence. Her hidden kunai that she had found in her room was safely placed inside of one of her pockets.

Her feet didn't make a sound as she walked. She supposed it was habit of her old days, the way she walked silently. At the moment, she was wondering whether or not it was a good idea. After all, sneaking up on the Akatsuki was probably a one way ticket to pain… and misery. Or both.

Riye clenched her hand; she still had restored a bit of chakra since Kisame hadn't came near her with his Samehada these past two days. It wasn't enough to kill anyone, but enough to give them a good punch in the face. She silently slid past a few doors, knowing that they were probably bedrooms. The house was simply built: one staircase down and one hallway and she knew that it wouldn't be hard to get lost in, but she was still having difficulty finding the damn kitchen downstairs! She stopped in front of a door where she noticed different types of chakra. They were eating.

Before she wanted to enter, a soft voice stopped her from doing it. "Taking a detour?"

She recognized his mocking voice in an instant and turned around to face a blue haired man. He was wielding a huge guillotine sword, the _Kubikiri Houcho, _once Momochi Zabuza's sword. He eyed Riye in interest, baring his razor sharp teeth.

"_Suigetsu…_ so you really got out of Orochimaru's stink hole. How unfortunate."

Suigetsu was surprised by the fact that she did not seem perturbed at the sight of him, especially in an Akatsuki cloak.

"And I see your annoying personality hasn't changed over the past eight years, Riye. Still the same bitch as always." She mere rose an eyebrow at him, as in not thinking much of him. He merely smirked at her, placing his sword against the wall.

Suigetsu, though he would not admit it aloud, took note of the very much changed girl before him. She certainly had grown since the last time he saw her, which was during their Chuunin exams. Gone was the baby fat from her face, leaving it mature with its smooth and defined edges. Her body was slimmer, more lean and tight. And her eyes. They were the most transformed of all. There was no cheeky happiness gleaming in their cerulean depths but a hard defiance and strength he was unfamiliar with. It almost resembled ice.

"You're not supposed to be here. What were you planning to do?" he asked evenly, leaning against his sword.

"I am starved. No one brought me food in the past two days. So much taking care for the Jinchuuriki." she stated, pointed at the pit of her stomach. Suigetsu merely snorted.

"Tsk. Get back to your room." he replied simply, walking past her as he was about to enter the kitchen. She merely raised her other eyebrow, not moving.

A hiss escaped her lips. "Look you _idiot_, I haven't eaten in two days and was forced to drink water out of the-"

"I'll bring you some food, patience. Go back before you'll get into trouble." Suigetsu simply stated in annoyance. She looked him straight in his lavender eyes. He too, had changed a lot. Not much in appearance, but in his personality.

As expected, he'd become more cruel, heartless but… also calmer. She remembered him during the time of the _Bloody Mist _with his brother Magetsu, how obsessed he was with killing. She'd never forget the look in his eyes.

At this very moment, she was staring into the very same eyes she stared at eight years ago. She was surprised that she couldn't find that look anymore. That look for blood, to kill.

_Perhaps Taka had some good influence on him…_

"Fine." she finally sneered, quickly turning around as she left.

Suigetsu sighed. This was going to really annoying. Especially since the preparations were now going to take longer than usual.

----------------------------------

_And why would it take longer? You'll find out next chapter. Don't forget to review! _

_Next chapter: Fringe_


	5. 4: Fringe

First of all thanks a lot for the amazing reviews and messages. They really helped me, especially the feedback on the story. Also thanks for the new adds. Secondly: I know that in Kishimoto's scrapbook for the _Tails of the Jinchuuriki _is been described that _Utakata_ is the original container of the six-tails and has already been captured and extracted, but I decided to ignore this. For once only… You should forgive me. Now on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It really belongs to Kishimoto's glorious brain.

* * *

Chapter four: Fringe

**Alpha**

* * *

"Wake up, Sasuke!"

Karin's high-pitched voice screeched in his ears, but that wasn't the thing that pulled him out of his sleep though. Sasuke woke up in the drenched in sweat as his chest heaved while he tried to calm his breathing. Around him, Suigetsu and Karin were staring at him in awe. It took a moment for Sasuke to realize that he had awaken with his Sharingan. He blinked in confusion, letting them return to their normal midnight colour. His fists unwillingly clenched as he thought back at his dream that had felt so real.

_"People live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. That's how they define 'reality', but what does it mean to be 'correct' or 'true'? Merely vague concepts ... Their reality may all be a mirage. Can we consider them to simply be living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs?" _

"_I'm sorry Sasuke… there won't be a next time…"_

Reality struck him like a Chidori. It was still real: Itachi was gone- Madara who had revealed Itachi's truth- Taka were still a part of Akatsuki- He had captured the six-tails Jinchuuriki.

An _innocent _Jinchuuriki.

Sasuke clenched his fists even harder, narrowing his eyes. Madara was right: he _is_ soft.

Karin laid a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, making him look up. "We should go, Sasuke. ANBU are on the move, Kisame and Zetsu already left an hour ago."

"Where is Yuugo?"

"He's looking out for the Jinchuuriki."

His dark eyes broke the stare as he shrugged her off and disappeared into the bathroom. That disturbing thought came back to mind that he had tried to make disappear for a couple of times now. He let the cool water drip down his face, still trying to clear his mind properly. It took a few moments before he stepped out of the bathroom and caught Suigetsu sitting on the windowsill.

"You look like you've found out something useful." commented Sasuke in his monotone-like voice as soon as he saw the expression on his face. Suigetsu turned to face him completely, flashing his razor-sharp teeth.

"I have; something interesting has occurred. Looks like the Leaf and Mist are now in an allegiance to track the six-tails down. Two mixed platoons are on the move."

A shiver of curiosity went down Sasuke's spine. "Really now?"

"It appears that Madara had planned to attack Konoha as well, at the very same time that we were after the six-tails. Konoha has suffered a lot under their attack: the damage is huge." Suigetsu continued.

Sasuke remained silent for a while as he sat down on his bed, like he was trying to get things straight inside his mind. "Why was Konoha under attack as well? It's useless to capture the nine-tails since it needs to be sealed last."

Suigetsu let out a dry chuckle. "Don't know. I assume Madara had his reasons."

Karin stood up from her chair as she continued with Suigetsu's story. "The Mizukage and some other Mist nin had decided to go to Konoha after the attack, to form an allegiance."

Sasuke's dark orbs shifted to Karin, eyeing her emotionlessly. "Konoha has send out two ANBU squads to track the Akatsuki down." she explained, resting one hand on her hip while the other one pushed her glasses up on her nose.

"How long do we have?" Sasuke asked tonelessly as he glanced over his shoulder for a moment.

"One day… maybe."

Sasuke nodded unseeingly in acknowledgement and got up from the bed. "Karin, get Yuugo and the Jinchuuriki. We're leaving immediately." he announced as he put on his cloak.

-----------------------

Smoky dawn light crept into the room, lighting the dirty walls with nearly eerie bluish gray light. A chill had swept through the night and settled on Riye's shoulders. She shrugged them hastily and was rewarded by a wave of reawakened pain. She did not stifle the deep groan that accompanied the action, her body still weak. '_Great, seems like I've been drained again…'_

"Damn." she swore out loud, driving her sleep-ridden mind into action.

"It took you another day to wake up, you must have been really exhausted." Riye's eyes shot wide open at the sound, and scanned the room, before finding a large dark shape sitting on the ground at the other side of the room. The person said nothing more as he leaned forward, this time sitting in the small ray of sunlight so that she could see him. The man that was sitting there reminded Riye of a giant: he was at least six and a half foot tall, his hair was spiky. Though his height and body shape seemed intimidating, his face and eyes were calm and kind, with the colour of honey.

"Another Akatsuki huh?" Riye asked in a hoarse voice, although her question got already answered soon enough when she noticed the cloak that he was wearing, only Riye couldn't identify him. The man merely eyed her, almost in pity.

"… Yuugo."

Riye frowned and looked down at her body. The cloth circling her torso and limbs was different than the bandages from before, so Riye assumed that Karin had replaced the old ones by new ones. Interesting.

She scanned the rest of her body and noticed that her previous bruises were healing rapidly, thanks to the Rokubi's chakra. Her knee and arm weren't aching so much anymore, it merely felt a little sore.

She groaned. This all meant that she'd been out for at least another day or two. At least a few days after her fight with Uchiha Sasuke. Or rather his fight with _her_, she thought wryly since he was the one who knocked her out so casually.

"Are you here to make sure I won't escape?" Riye asked, trying to sit straight up.

"Perhaps," Yuugo replied dryly as he gracefully rose up from the ground, straightening his Akatsuki cloak. "You should get up, Riye-san." Riye's eyes flickered, surprised that he was the first one who addressed her by her first name besides Suigetsu, although he didn't count because they knew each other.

Although her wounds had been taken care of, the sharp pain was still there and she knew she wasn't able to get to her feet that easily. "But-"

The protest died in her throat as Yuugo's strict gaze settled on her. There was the very real possibility that this member could harm her more in every possible way if he lost his patience with her, and in her weakened state she would not put up a reliable defence. Until she could recuperate, it was still a very dangerous situation to protest or charge them, so she experienced a few nights before.

_Damn that Uchiha and his Sharingan…_

She shaded her eyes against the bright sunrays that peeped past the shelves and levered herself to get to her feet with the speed of honey dripping. Riye tried twice before managing to stand on the cold wooden floor. The patterns on the floor made uneven spirals before her eyes that made her stomach queasy. _This is not very good… _and with that she sunk back to the ground.

"Take it easy. You've been out for a while." Yuugo commented calm, watching her struggle to stay conscious. Riye's foggy mind didn't register his comment completely, and she eyed her, confused. Riye blinked and swayed, even just sitting there on the ground..

"No sweat." Then after a few moments had passed. "Being a Mist nin, I've experienced things far worse than this."

Yuugo's eyed flickered, knowing that Suigetsu had said those words before. The Jinchuuriki was clearly off in some other world, seeing Riye visibly pull herself together and concentrate, eyes closed, on what she needed to articulate. Riye gritted her teeth as she, once again, got to her feet with difficulty.

"Where," she asked slowly, thickly, as if the words had to be wrestled to come out, "… are we going?" Riye looked at Yuugo, a faint anticipation shining out of her eyes, like someone who had translated and hoped the other person understood. This was something Yuugo could not ignore. But before he could answer her question, Karin bashed into the room in a hurry, eyeing Yuugo behind her glasses.

"Yuugo, we're leaving."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Konoha ANBU. We're heading for Rain immediately." she quickly walked over to the small wardrobe, taking a travelling pack out and threw it next to the girl on the bed. Riye's lips formed into a distant line of unhappiness.

"Jinchuuriki, we're-"

"I'm not deaf." Riye hissed, ignoring the fact that she was calling her _'Jinchuuriki'_. Karin wordlessly began putting the clothing and scrolls from the bookshelve inside it.

Riye began calculating a plan. Perhaps she could escape… no, that's _just_ what they'd be thinking. They'd know that she would see this as a perfect opportunity for escape. Yuugo helped Riye up immediately as they entered the hallway where the two other members of Taka awaited.

"Looks like your snotty little friends have come to look for you." Suigetsu bared his teeth. "Too bad we have to leave so soon."

Riye cast him a dangerous glare. Before Suigetsu could say something else, Sasuke interrupted him. "Let's go."

Sasuke and Karin headed off first, then Yuugo, Suigetsu, and Riye followed. Riye easily kept up with their swift pace, though she didn't know how long she would be able to do so without chakra. As they continued their track through the forest, Riye could only hope and pray that the others could find her… and that they knew how to think fast.

------------------------

Daisuke and Naruto whipped through the trees, the cold air stinging their cheeks. They were at the head of the group, scouting the area and were heading into the direction of the Akatsuki hideout. Team Kakashi and Team Gai had met each other halfway after they had found out about the nearest Akatsuki hideout, deciding to explore the hideout together.

They were a good ten minutes ahead of the others, and they found the solitude wonderful. They hadn't had time to speak to one another since the mission got started. Naruto had found out that Daisuke wasn't much of a talker, but he could tell that he cared very much about his team-mate.

The group had decided on a stealth attack at night. They would conceal their chakra and move in small groups towards the hideout once they found it, in order to remain inconspicuous.

Still, both Daisuke and Naruto had a feeling that their heightened stealth would not hide them enough from the acute Akatsuki senses. They just had to hope they could strike fast enough to catch them by surprise.

"Do you think she is alright?" Naruto finally asked Daisuke as they continued jumping on tree limbs.

The dark-haired Mist nin glanced sideways. "I think she can hold out on her own, but…"

"But you're afraid they are stronger than she is."

"I _know_ they are." Daisuke murmured. "And it makes me feel desperate. That whole organization… I don't get them. I really don't…"

"Me neither." Naruto shook his head. "But I do know that she must be strong. Otherwise… she wouldn't have been able to hold it out against… _Sasuke._" his eyes fell down to the dirt for a moment, but forced a smile on his face before he continued.

"Besides, they can't extract her yet. Their extraction statue is still out of balance, thanks to Stone ANBU interrupted the last extraction process. Tsunade _baa-chan_ told us that it'll definitely take another month before they've restored the balance. "

Daisuke signed a little. "I know, but still… if she had her chakra she'd be able to fight back. But we both know Hoshigaki Kisame has probably drained her of it all with his Samehada. She couldn't hold off anything at the moment."

"You don't have enough faith in your friend." Naruto snapped. "You should have! She's the sister of the Mizukage! From what I have heard she's pretty impressive, you should believe in her!"

"… I know."

"Then why don't you show it?"

Daisuke shook his head, gritting his teeth. He just didn't understand. "Just cut it Naruto-san... Let's get to their hideout as quick as we can."

-------------------------

She merely listened to the sound of Yuugo's breathing, and the soft sound his sandals made when they hit the snow-laden trees. It was almost soothing while she remained completely still on his back. She had only been able to keep up their pace for two hours before she passed out.

Riye had been forced in her younger years to memorize country borders and determine the difference in foliage and temperature depending on the country she was in. She could tell that she was already in Rain from the dampness that hung in the air that was only familiar to Mist. The only difference was the winter air. It was more humid than wet, like in Mist, and it was thick. It stuck in her lungs and made it hard to breathe as they went. The ice cold air didn't help either.

Riye couldn't understand how the thickness and wetness of the air could stay, as well as the cold air of winter. The mixture made breathing painful. How they could continue to run at their resolute pace was a mystery to her.

The strangeness of being carried by Yuugo was growing on her. Riye breathed in a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. She was starting to feel a little desperate. Would they be able to find her? Was the wound on her knee that she'd re-opened good enough for them to follow her? It sure has to be-

"We're almost here."

Sasuke's voice was cold, like the air around them. It was a statement, pure and simple. Riye merely froze in place, looking around as white fogs escape her lips. She wanted to give Yuugo a very good knock on the head and make a run for it, but she couldn't do anything now. She was cold, fatigued, still drained of chakra… and for once in her life, she didn't have a plan B.

She was completely stumped.

It was in that moment that she realized she'd had been wrong about something. No matter how much willpower she had at the moment, no matter how much she wished to fight them, her body just wouldn't move. She couldn't find any strength inside of herself. Riye had always said that if you believed you could still fight, then you could.

She was so terribly wrong.

--------------

They finally neared the Akatsuki hideout as Naruto's eyes caught the sight of a very old cottage.

The moment they came upon small house, Kakashi realized something was out of place. He, Naruto and Daisuke were on the first strike team. The others landed on the snow beside him as Hyuuga Neji scanned the house with his Byakugan, seeing that is was abandoned as he and Kakashi shared a glance. That was when the rest of the two groups came up to them at Kakashi's signal. The others turned to Neji expectantly, who shook his head.

_"Fuck!"_ Daisuke cursed, his face dark with anger. He hurriedly walked to the back of the house, his excuse looking for left evidence that could lead to the captured girl. Naruto almost closed his eyes as he let out a small growl. _Too late_… they were too late to get to the kunoichi. Still, their mission wasn't over…

Hana turned to Kakashi. "She isn't here, is she Kakashi-san?"

"_Kuso. _They must have realized we were coming. I bet that that wench of Sasuke's sensed us." Shikamaru murmered.

"Is she still alive?" Hana whispered.

"Akamaru smells her scent, as well as three other members of Akatsuki and one of them is definitely Sasuke's. They're at least gone for a day already, it's faint." Kiba whispered.

Gai, Lee, Daisuke, and Ino came out of the house, shaking their heads. They hadn't found anything worth noting.

"Hold on." Hana whispered in awe. "There are droplets of blood here on the ground!"

"What?" Naruto stared at Hana in confusion. "Where?"

She pointed down, "Here… it's very small."

Daisuke immediately walked over to to Hana, looking down to the ground. He indeed saw small droplets of blood, his eyes following the trail which let into the forest.

"Kiba-san, could you come over here and check if it's one of theirs?"

Kiba nodded, walking over with Akamaru on his side, which already began to follow the small trail. He suddenly started to bark and Kiba nodded, frowning a little.

"It's hers. Looks like she made a small wound in order to follow her trail. She probably knew that we'd track her down by her scent."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. "That makes it a lot easier for us. Let's get moving. We quickly need to follow their trail."

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She was almost grateful to be able to curl up with the old torn blanket and sleep, her eyelids already heavy with fatigue, and despite she was alone, she fell asleep almost immediately.

_Wait- what?! _

She woke up in shock, her eyes immediately adjusting to the place she currently was. The last thing that she remembered was being on the back of Yuugo, while they were on their way to Rain. She must have passed out during the trip, now that she suddenly was in a dark cabin, the fire nothing but glowing embers, and she was indeed alone. A kunai and some supplies still lay on the table, telling her that the Akatsuki members hadn't left her for good-

But wait a second: were they really so stupid as to leave her alone with a weapon? They'll if they were giving her the opportunity, she sure as hell was going to take advantage of it. She stood, finding herself stronger than before, but still devoid of enough of her chakra that powerful jutsu wouldn't be an option.

She silently cursed at herself still being so weak and she gripped the kunai they had left tightly in her hand, before slipping out the wooden door. '_Morons… no chakra seals either?' _she thought, turning her face to scan the area. But something was just not right…

Judging from the faint light, it was early morning. The air was heavy with mist and the forest's chill immediately nipped at her unprotected skin. She hurried to the edge of the clearing, intent on putting as much distance between herself and the hideout as possible. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure she wasn't being watched from behind, only to bump into something solid and warm.

Her head snapped back to the front to the person regarding her with the same emotionless expression he always wore, ebony bangs falling against pale skin. What looked to be a pair of scrolls, was securely tucked under one arm. He had obviously left for some reasons, but he had been nearby and he probably expected that she'd try to escape judging the blank look on his face..

His other hand was already wrapped around her wrist holding the kunai, squeezing hard enough to make the bones grind together painfully. The weapon fell from her hand and hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Where did you get that?" he asked almost in a growl, but his voice as monotone as ever as Riye tried feebly to wrench herself free of his grasp. Ah, so the kunai wasn't a part of the plan. Riye expected that one of Taka, which weren't here for unknown reasons, must have left it behind by accident between the other stuff. It was almost excruciating to see him looking at her like that, no glimmer of emotion in his eyes.

"Let go!" she snarled fiercely, her heart palpitating like a butterfly's fluttering wings as she felt her strength wane with her every movement. Fighting was useless but she refused to give up. She raised a leg to kick him in the thigh and hopefully push him backwards, but the blow was weak and only exhausted her more.

"Answer."

"In the cabin, idiot! Some of your feeble-minded minions must have been careless!" Sasuke resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow and swallowed his outraged cry with the blue-eyed spitfire before him. He didn't know if the kunoichi was either really brave or really stupid, but his mind and patience were leaning more heavily toward the latter.

She looked up at him hatefully, bitter and spiteful words on the tip of her tongue, but they disappeared in a pained gasp when she looked into his Sharingan. She was suddenly overcome with agony, pain shooting through every muscle and bone, no doubt caused by whatever jutsu he had caught her in. Her knees buckled beneath her, held up now only by his grip on her wrist as she shuddered and groaned, hardly able to breathe in the face of such overwhelming pain. Never had her whole body hurt like this, it was even hurting more than the previous time she'd encountered him, as if she were coming apart at the seams, as if her very soul was going to break, and through it all, Sasuke merely just watched her, Mangekyou turning lazily as she suffered at his feet.

"Ch..e.." she panted, hardly able to form words, hardly able to think through such blinding pain, but her words must have gotten through because he dispelled the jutsu, spinning eyes becoming motionless once more as she dangled from his hand and when he took a small step back, her body leaned toward him unconsciously. He continued to stare at her dishevelled form, water droplets from the thick now clinging to the spiked ends of his hair.

"Pathetic." he finally stated, obsidian eyes roaming her battered form in disapproval. He slipped his arm around her waist and hoisting her easily over his shoulder, her arms hanging down his back limply. She could only groan softly in reply as he carried her inside the cabin, dumping her just a few feet inside as he set about rekindling the fire.

The pain had left her numb and her struggling had drained her almost completely. She lay motionless on the floor, watching the Uchiha through half lidded eyes. Feeling so vulnerable, weak and disgusted by herself, she couldn't take it anymore. A small tear of despair left the corner of her eye, her body trembling slightly with hatred. She must have faded in and out of consciousness because she only remembered fragments of Sasuke taking care of the scrolls he'd been holding.

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_Next chapter: Equilibrium_


End file.
